Connecting the skies of Melbourne with Uber Air

By Nikos KatinakisJune 12, 2019

Telstra will be a part of an innovative project with Uber to build a future urban aviation transport system in the city of Melbourne, using our leading mobile network infrastructure and technology expertise.

We are excited to support Uber in its efforts
to explore innovative transport solutions, and we’re proud to have our world
headquarters of Melbourne be the third city in the world to join Uber’s
international pilot program for Uber Air.

As a partner for Uber Air testing in Melbourne
over the next 12 months, we’ll contribute our expertise in network
infrastructure and evaluate the connectivity requirements for a future
connected aviation transport system in an urban environment.

Today, 3 in 4 Melburnians rely solely on their
car to get to work, which can cause significant delays along the city’s key
routes and means Melbourne already has congestion levels on par with the
world’s busiest cities like New York and Rome. With the population of the
surrounding region set to double to 8 million people by 2050, Melbourne is a
perfect testing ground for Uber Air.

Uber Air is an ambitious initiative from Uber,
taking the company’s hallmark approach to personalised on-demand mobility
through its technology platform to the skies using a new class of electric
vertical take-off & landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Australia already has a
progressive attitude to the concept of ride-sharing, with nearly 4 million customers
regularly using Uber to get from A to B, and a government and regulatory
environment supportive of innovation.

We are excited to be part of a truly momentous
point in time for Melbourne on the world stage. Our network strength and
coverage, including our 5G leadership, along with our ongoing work on drones
and related standards will support Uber’s incredible technology and innovation
to develop a service we have all imagined would one day be possible.

We will be working closely with Uber over the
next 12 months to assess what network infrastructure, connectivity requirements
and other capabilities would be required to support airspace mobility in urban
centres. It is a testament to Telstra’s network and technology capability that
we are part of this exciting future.

We have always said that 5G is bigger than just one ‘killer app’, and that there are many use cases for our new network that we have not yet imagined. This partnership with Uber to investigate and develop the connectivity underpinning Uber Air is another example of the transformative potential of technology in all areas of our lives.

Relocating from Toronto, Nikos Katinakis joined Telstra on 15 October 2018 as Group Executive Networks & IT. In this critical role Nikos is responsible for ensuring Telstra delivers next generation network technologies to create the largest, smartest, safest and most reliable networks in the world. This includes rolling out new technology developments, such as those related to 5G, as well as maintaining and enhancing Telstra’s IT platforms.
Nikos was previously Executive Vice President Networks for Reliance Jio in India where he was responsible for rolling out the first pan-India 4G LTE Network, with a focus on data management, and enhancing and stabilising the various operating platforms. In his second Jio assignment, Nikos led their wireline/fixed consumer business with the objective to launch full commercial services across major cities in India, while fully automating and simplifying workflows and the customer experience. Prior to this, Nikos was SVP of Architecture and Technology Development for Network and IT at Canada’s Rogers Communications, as well as Chief Information Security Officer, where he was responsible for the technology strategy, selection, and roadmap that guided Rogers’ deployment of next generation capabilities across all access networks and services.